Highway snow and ice control is typically performed by governmental entities (states, municipalities, etc.) utilizing plows to remove snow and ice and/or sanders that apply particulates to roadways. In the latter regard, such particulate may be a mixture of sand and/or salts (e.g., sodium chloride, calcium magnesium acetate (CMA)), which may melt snow/ice on a roadway. In addition to snow removal and particulate application, such governmental entities also attend to the cleaning of residual particulates (e.g., sand) from roadways. For instance, it is common for highways to be swept in the spring to remove accumulated particulate from roadway surfaces. Such sweeping is commonly performed utilizing a rotating brush assembly typically to a front end of a vehicle.
As plowing and sweeping operations often occur at different time of the year, it is common for governmental entities to utilize the same vehicles for both operations. For example, during winter operations, dump trucks utilized for sanding are often fitted with a snow plow disposed on their front end such that sanding and plowing may be done simultaneously. Further, once snow removal season ends, the plows are typically removed from these trucks such that sweepers may be attached to the front end of these trucks. As will be appreciated, such dual use of the vehicle reduces capital costs for the governmental entity.
In the case of plowing or sweeping, the truck mounted plow/sweeper must be short enough to allow transport on public highways which have limited lane width. Further, during plowing or sweeping, it is generally desirable to angle the implement such that the snow or particulate is moved toward the right shoulder of the road as the vehicle moves down the road. However, angling of the implement further shortens the lateral width of the implement. In this regard, it is often necessary to make multiple passes to clear the road. Further, in order to completely remove the snow/particulate from the roadway, it is often necessary for a truck operator to drive on the very edge of the roadway shoulder. Such operation can damage the shoulder which typically does not have the same base as the roadway and can be dangerous to operators if the tire of the vehicle leaves the roadway.